AN: Hey guys! I bring to you all the new update of this story! Don't think I have anything to rant, so I'll respond to you guys! :D

Nameless Knight: That's true, in the game she does accept his death quickly. However in that fractured dimension, I made it where she was more emotional and never met Jude/Elize, thus not having any friends to 'support' her, causing her downfall :D
As for the Rowen bit, I know it's a little extreme, but he did say in ToX2 when Nachtigal asked what he would do if he destroyed the Fennmont and Rowen would kill Nachtigal in response. I know, it's extreme but thought it could still apply here, hehe.
But still, thanks! It just shows some small changes have severe consequences

Riku Uzumaki: Kinda obvious, eh? hehehe

Aldehar: Hehe, thanks! And that's a really keen observation by you there, Elize's state of mind and all XD
Yes, Rowen is able to see the situation but can still relate to 'Rowen' in a sense as well, considering they're one and the same. It's just unfortuante that 'Rowen' had different circumstances (Not meeting Jude/Elize).
Oh, Driselle and Cline are your favorite chars? I agree, having her brother killed and taking on the role of Lord, she is a very strong-wileld women. But in that dimension, I made her 'break' because she had no support, hehe.
Ah yes, I know whta you mean. For me, that's why I believe Ludger was really strong-willed. I know, people say he has 'no character' because he's silent but from the diary and his actions, i feel you can tell he's almost like Jude. THat's why the fact he has the heaviest burden of dealing the killing blow and can still push on is what makes him such a strong character.
Lol, I'll try to make more feels on future chapters, but they ain't easy T_T

U-Know Yunho: Yes, this chapter was quite tragic :(
Damn it Jura, get your shit together!

Radomaru: Hehehe, I guess it was kinda obvious what the gift was?
Hope I did well on delivering the feels :S It was really hard to write it. Thinking up the plot, action and dialogue while keeping it in one track took me a lot of thinking, lol. I just hope I managed it somehow.
Yeah, fractured dimensions have happy or sad moments. So far I like exploring a world with the ToX cast involved with changes. I'll see how it is.
Thanks mate! I'll try to do my best in delivering better chapters

Mr. AE Hachi-Roku: Yeah, scraping ideas can honestly be a pain. The Elize chapter (Chapter 18+19) was honestly quite hard since I wanted to explore how to try and deliver feels. Had one or two ideas, then decided against it. I hoped you enjoeyd them though.
Hehe, it was kinda touching right? And yeah, in ToX2, only once I believe a character met his counterpart, which you mentioned was Alvin. I might, in future chapters, do more meeting of their counterparts. It depends really. Or I might soon approach the final arc. But I'm not sure cause once I do that, there's no turning back. There's still so much to explore with 'fractured' Milla still alive in this story

CHAPTER 20: SHARIL MANOR

"So what're we doing here?" Alvin asked in a bored tone with his hands clasped behind his neck.

"I got a message on my GHS from Rowen to meet outside the manor." Leia replied while looking out for their friends, "Apparently there's a small gathering or something. Jude and Milla are coming as well. Oh, and Ludger, Elle and the other Milla." When she noticed Alvin looked uninterested, she nudged him hard on the ribs, "Oh come on! It'll be fun!"

"Hey, I was just asking." Alvin said, "You dragged me to Sharilton without telling me what we're doing. I barely had time to fix my hair. As an up-and-rising merchant, gotta take care of how I look."

Leia rolled her eyes. It was just Alvin being his typical self. Although he changed since the one year, his ego was still the same, but it was just what made him known as Alvin. Leia was about to say something to Alvin when she spotted two other familiar faces coming towards them.

"Jude! Milla!" Leia called out, waving at them.

Both Jude and Milla waved back and approached them. Jude then spoke to Leia once he reached her, "Leia, have you recovered from your injuries already?" He was of course referring to when she was kidnapped by Exodus a few days ago.

Leia stuck out her chest with her arms stretched out, her usual pumped up pose, "Of course! Who do you think I am? Those injuries are nothing to me! Why, I could- ow!" Leia cried in pain, rubbing her bruised arm.

"I told you to not push yourself." Alvin said with a sigh, "You try and act tough, but your body can't take it. Those Exodus bastards can dish out a lot on torture. You're lucky that you're out walking in just a few days."

Leia pouted. As much as she wanted to argue with the former mercenary, he was right. Jude chuckled and proceeds to patch up her injuries. While Milla watched this scene, she admired how much everyone had grown. And it saddened her that her time in the human realm was only temporary. She wanted to be with everybody, especially with Jude. But she had a responsibility to the world now. She could not simply abandon that role. So she would enjoy the moment, watching those close to her grow.

Once all four had gathered outside the manor, Rowen came out of Sharil's manor accompanied by Ludger and the rest of the party that destroyed the latest fractured dimension. Jude, Milla, Leia and Alvin went up to meet with the former butler.

"I thank you all for taking your time to come." Rowen said, giving a courteous bow.

"So what do you need us for?" Alvin asked.

Rowen's mood grew somber and he turned towards the manor and said, "If you all recall, it is close to the anniversary since Lord Cline's… untimely death."

At the mention of that, Alvin looked away, "Oh… right…"

"Is Driselle okay?" Jude asked in a concerned tone.

Rowen nodded, "She is, but Elize and I have noticed that she seems to be… a little 'out of it' at times. Lady Driselle is probably reminded of her late brother, since it is approaching the day he passed away."

"So what can we do?" Leia asked.

"We're going to cheer Driselle up!" Elle exclaimed and then turned to Elize, "Elize even got her a gift! Right?"

Elize nodded and Teepo flew around excitedly, "That's right! El got her a gift that should cheer her up!"

"Guess you're starting to care for your 'big sister', huh kid?" Alvin teased.

Elle turned red and huffed, "N-no! It's just… I just wanted to help cheer Driselle up!"

Alvin laughed and took that as the answer. Rowen then gestured for everyone to enter the manor, "Please, if you will. I'm sure Lady Driselle will appreciate the company."

So the whole party entered the familiar manor. Unlike the one in the fractured dimension, the manor here was clean, tidy and bright. There were of course some guards, but only a few. A servant directed the party to where Driselle was, at the back of the house which was a beautiful, medium-sized garden. As they entered the garden, Rowen recalled old memories of where he served Lord Cline and Driselle tea. And then Lord Cline would insist he joined them as well, which he did. Such happy memories were now just that; memories.

The party found Driselle sitting alone on a chair with a small table in front of her, enjoying a cup of tea. She seemed to be enjoying the solitude, staring at the leaves of the trees being blown by the wind, as if dancing to a serenade. However she noticed the party coming at her and put her cup down on the table and then stood up to greet them, a large smile on her face.

"Oh hello everyone!" Driselle called out, "What're you all doing here?"

Rowen bowed, "Lady Driselle, all your friends have come because they are all worried about you."

Driselle blinked with a confused stare, "Worried about me? What for?"

Elize stepped up and said, "Driselle… Rowen and I noticed that… you look sad lately. And… well…"

"We know you miss your brother, Driselle." Leia interjected, "And we also remember that it is close to the date he… passed away. So Elize wanted to cheer you up. She's really worried about you."

Driselle was taken aback by the statement, placing both hands on her cheeks in surprise, "Oh my… you're right. It's almost been one year since my brother's passing, isn't it?"

With Driselle's words, now everyone was confused, especially Rowen and Elize. A short awkward silence ensued, with Driselle simply staring back and the party quite at a loss of words. Elle kept looking between Driselle and Elize, not getting what was going on.

"Lady Driselle, I'm not sure my old ears heard that quite right." Rowen finally said, "But… I do not understand. By your words, you were not aware of the one year anniversary of your brother's passing."

"Well being a Lord is really busy." Driselle responded, "I've been a little stressed with all the workload and just needed a little break." Driselle then smiled, "And I do miss my brother… but I also know he wouldn't like it if I wallowed in grief over him. I have to be strong, not just for myself but for the people of Sharilton. I have to… I know that's what my brother would have wanted."

"Lady Driselle…" Rowen had never seen Driselle speak like that. Seeing that she had grown so much, the old conductor did not realize a single tear escaped his eyes.

Lady Driselle continued speaking, "But most of all, the reason why I can stay strong is because of you all. You all give me strength to push on. If I was alone when my brother was… assassinated, I don't think I could have climbed out of that dark hole alone." Driselle then moved towards Elize, going down on her knees and holding the little girls hands, "Especially you Elize. You're my best friend. Even now you're worried about me." Driselle then stood up and stared at everyone, "And I'm sorry for worrying all of you. I'm fine. I've just been swamped with taking care of Sharilton that I've been exhausted."

"You should take better care of yourself." Elle affirmed, "Elize was really worried about you, y'know."

Jude nodded and added in, "She even got you a gift." Jude then said to Elize, "Right?"

Elize nodded and took out the item she received from the fractured 'Driselle'. It was small, so it was hidden in the palm of her hand. Driselle wondered what it was and when Elize handed the item to her, she gasped in shock. Driselle inspected the item and it was what she thought. It was an old locket that Lord Cline gave her and it contained pictures of their deceased parents. The original was gone, so Driselle had forgotten all about it. Of course she did not know it was from a fractured dimension, but it was still a treasured gift.

"Elize… how…?" Driselle sputtered in disbelief, "My… brother gave this to me as a present… when I was ten… but… when I was twelve, I was supposed to throw my old belongings that I thought I didn't need… my locket was accidentally put in and… the trash was destroyed... along with my locket. I thought it's gone… how did you get this?"

"We… sort of found it." Elize lied, although it was probably necessary. No doubt explaining about fractured dimensions would confuse Driselle, "Do… do you like it?"

Driselle quickly hugged Elize for a long while before she pulled away from the hug, looking at Elize in the eyes, "Like it? I love it! This… is precious to me. Thank you Elize. This… means a lot to me."

"We're just glad to help!" Teepo said happily, "Right Elize?" Elize nodded happily, now smiling. She was glad she could put a smile on Driselle's face. But it was more than that. Driselle was close to tears but she managed to hold them back.

Driselle tied the locket around her neck, the beautiful, silver locket hanging just above her chest. It complimented her looks even further, bringing a dignified appearance to a Lord while touching on her feminine beauty. It was a wonderful addition to her accessories.

Now that the matter was resolved, Driselle turned to face the party, "Everyone… thank you for everything. I'm happy to have friends like all of you. How about you all stay for tea?"

The whole party turned to look at one another, to see what to decide. Alvin simply shrugged. He was up for anything. So the rest agreed. It was a good opportunity to just relax with everyone and not worry about the tasks ahead of them.

So the manor was much livelier for the afternoon. The party separated and spent their time in the manor in different areas. Elize, Teepo and Rowen remained with Driselle, since it had been such a long time since they were together. Elize lived with Driselle for the past year but with Rowen now the prime minister of Rieze Maxia, he could only stop by occasionally. It had been far too long since he was in the manor. Alvin and Leia were also in the gardens, but they were admiring the beautiful trees. Actually Leia was mostly doing the admiring and jotting down notes that she claimed to be an 'article' about nature. Alvin just stuck around just because.

As for Jude, he visited the guest room where Milla was told she could not use her legs anymore. Jude saw the empty bed and recalled the painful memory of watching Milla, still filled with determination, trying to crawl out of the room to fulfill her mission. He could not believe it was now all in the past. Milla's injury was one of the most painful events that occurred but… the worst was her sacrifice. Thinking about it even now, Jude would feel numb. But that event helped Jude grew. No, it helped everyone to grow.

"You seem to be lost in thought." Milla said, entering the room.

Startled, Jude turned around to face her, "Oh Milla… it's nothing really. I'm just… reminiscing about what happened here last year."

"Here?" Milla approached Jude while looking around the room. And then, it hit her, "Oh… yes, this does bring back memories, doesn't it? Thinking back on it… I was quite foolish in sacrificing my legs. But throughout it all, you continued to stay by my side. Just like how Elize was precious to Driselle, I have everything you to thank for. If I never met you at Fennmont… I probably would have failed my mission."

Jude blushed, scratching the side of his face with a finger, "Well… I'm just glad I was able to follow you." Jude then grew silent, lost in his thoughts again.

"What's wrong?" Milla asked, concern written on her face.

Jude shook his head, "It's just… Milla… we… we'll never be… together, will we?" Milla had a blank reaction to Jude's accusation, so Jude continued, "I mean… you're the Lord of Spirits and… even if I perfect spyrite technology, we probably won't be together. You won't just abandon your role."

Jude clenched his fists in frustration and Milla could tell Jude wanted an answer. And she was not the only one that felt that way. The fact that she probably could never be with the one person that helped show her the way was painful. She knew she was not the best at expressing her feelings. But she knew her feelings for Jude was genuine… and painful, due to their predicament.

"Even if that is so, will you quit the research on spyrite technology?" Milla challenged. Jude's eyes widened at that and both knew what his answer would be, "We have our own responsibilities to the world. All we can do… is seeing that our dreams come together."

"I guess… you're right." Jude said sadly.

And then much to Jude's shock, Milla moved in and gave a quick kiss on the lips. It lasted only a while, but long enough of a taste. As Milla backed away from the kiss, she said, "Will that suffice?"

Jude blushed lightly, "M-Milla?"

"Or do you perhaps prefer a more personal touch?" Milla offered sultrily, whispering in his ear, "Will you… accommodate to my wishes… if I say I wish to refresh the experience… of human warmth?"

Jude was panicking by then, "W-what? M-Milla, what's gotten into you?! We can't do this here!"

Milla smirked, "Did I make such a claim? Even I am not so bold to commit such an intimate experience in the house of another. All I did was offer but you jumped to the assumption of performing the act now."

"I… I…" Jude hid his face in the palm of his hands in embarrassment, to which Milla enjoyed.

"I wasn't joking however." Milla said, "The offer still stands once we return to your place."

Jude did not respond, although the heat on his face probably revealed his thoughts. After all, while the two still prioritized the safety of the world, they still enjoyed the pleasure of the flesh. With Milla staying at his apartment, it was… probably expected.

Skit: A private moment
Present: Jude, Milla (Elle, 'fractured' Milla, Alvin & Leia)

Milla: It is nice to be enjoying some alone time, don't you think Jude? *Sticks close to Jude*

Jude: Erm… yeah, I guess. You're a little too close though.

Milla: Do you not like it?

Jude: N-no, it's just… well… what if someone comes in?

Milla: I believe most of our friends are elsewhere in the manor. We-

Elle: *Barges in with 'fractured' Milla* Hey guys! Well… what're you all doing here?

Milla: Elle! *Breaks away from Jude*

Jude: E-Elle! H-hey!

Elle: Come on down guys! There are so much sweets and cakes to eat! What's there to do in this room anyway?

'Fractured' Milla: *Realizes* Elle, come on. We shouldn't bother them.

Elle: Huh? How come?

Milla: It's okay 'Milla'. We'll come down in a sec.

'Fractured' Milla: Hehe, sorry…

Alvin: *Enters scene* Oh? What's happening over here? *Spots Jude and Milla* Hmm? Did something happen here? Hehe…

Leia: Come on Alvin, give them some privacy.

Jude: *sigh* Why is this happening?

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It was a pleasant time for everyone, enjoying the moment without worries of the heavy burden placed on all of them. It was nice to be reminded that in the end, they were all normal beings. Except for Milla, who was the Lord of Spirits. The task of saving the world was placed on everyone's shoulders but for now, they deserved this short time of enjoying a break. Elize wished this moment would last forever.

Most of the party by then had gathered up at the living room, finally actually enjoying some proper tea. Rowen, although a prime minister, had returned to a temporary role of a butler (although Driselle told him not to). He served and poured everyone their tea. Even if he was a prime minister now, he simply could not forget the times he served Driselle.

"It's nice to have the manor so lively again." Driselle said happily, taking a sip from her cup, "Although… Teepo sometimes can be quite the loud one."

"That's me!" Teepo chimed in, "Wait… was that a compliment?"

Everyone shared a hearty laugh before Alvin decided to tease his favorite target, "Although with what I saw happen to Jude, I think he preferred if no one else was here. Right?"

"Come on Alvin…" Jude said with exasperation.

Alvin laughed but was cut short when Rowen cleared his throat, "Now, now… you can't blame Jude or Milla. They're young after all, not to mention they have not seen one another in a year. I remember when I was young… the woman of my heart was-"

"Okay, we don't need another one of your stories Rowen." Alvin said with a laugh.

"Oh? Then perhaps I should tell everyone what I saw between you and Leia? Ah yes… Leia was still recovering from her wounds at Xian Du after we rescued her. I wanted to check up on her and instead what I saw…"

"Stop right there!" Both Leia and Alvin cried in unison, instigating a laugh from the old man.

While everyone laughed and continued talking about other subject matters, Elize looked around and realized three others were missing. "Hey, where's Elle?"

Driselle also realized they were missing and then recalled where they were, "They're still at the garden."

And they could see through a large window at the garden. Indeed there was Ludger, 'fractured' Milla and Elle. They were all together, with what looked like Ludger diving in and lightly tackling Elle to the ground. As they tumbled across the clean grass, several leaves and small dirt got caught in Elle's hair. 'Fractured' Milla disapproved and started cleaning the mess from Elle's hair while lecturing Ludger. But at the end of her lecture, she smiled and the three of them laughed together.

Everyone that was watching the scene smiled or sighed with content. Although they never said it, they all had the same thing in mind.

"They look… like a family." That was the thought of the whole party as they stared at Ludger with 'fractured' Milla and Elle.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Looks like you're the last one." Julius Will Kresnik remarked, his dual blades drenched with the blood of his foes.

The last Spirius agent faced Julius with fear. Around the two were several bodies of Spirius agents, some dead while others heavily wounded. It was expected though. Julius might no longer be of Spirius, but he was considered the best of the best then. Even Rideaux, the current director, would have a hard time against Julius. Thus sending regular agents against Julius was simply foolish, but they had to try.

"It looks like you're all really persistent." Julius commented, "Admirable… but foolish nonetheless."

Julius dashed in, appearing directly in front of the agent in the blink of an eye. The agent tried to defend himself, but Julius was too fast. In a second, several deep cuts were inflicted on the agent's chest before the former directed ended his assault with a ground smashing kick to the agent, sending the agent crashing on a tree. That was the last of them.

With the agents all defeated for now, Julius prepared to move. He had little time to waste.

"Ugh…" Julius cried out in pain, holding his left arm that was covered with a black glove, "Damn… my time… is running out… I need to move fast. All of this… is for Ludger's sake."

Finally recovering from his pain, Julius transformed into his Chromatus and opened a portal to a fractured dimension. He had little time. His target: the Great Spirit Chronos.

CHAPTER END